21 Ways To Read A Tarot Card -- Step SEVEN

nicki

21 ways to read a tarot card - Step 7

Final part of Step 7.

Step 7.2a The Lovers

Rank ~ Six’s ~ co-operation, choice, balance, union, support
Element ~ Air ~ logical, rational, fair, communicative
Mode ~ Major Arcana ~ a why card, the cause or lesson

Synthesis for The Lovers

· Opposites attract, union of differences
· Look for others what we lack in ourselves
· Communication is the key to a good relationship**
· Logic can go out of the window when we fall in love**

** These 2 statements feel most true to me at least, although the others also ring true but maybe more at the beginning of a new relationship.

Step 7.2b How does this relate to my life now?

Although I have been with my current partner for six years, the first thing that attracted me to him was his personality, he’s very outgoing and lively where I tend to sit back and weigh people up first. I used to brood on things and let them build up before I would say anything, but because he is divorced with 2 children we have had to learn to talk to each other about situations that have arisen, its easy to let things go for an easy life but it only makes it worse in the end. Finally, logic and reasoning did go out of the window when I met him I vowed never to get involved with a divorcee with children but sometimes you just have to follow your heart.

nicki
 

coyoteblack

Nicki you have a real gift for synthesis! I had to read your page twice I think for a few of these i will have to change my internal journal of meanings.

I am glad you are learning to " open up" more
 

Jewel

For Nicki

Nicki I agree with Coyoteblack! Great work on the synthesis, it made so much sense and has opened my eyes into other potential meanings for the Lovers in a reading. I like the sentence about looking in others for what you lack, that also applies when something really bothers you about someone is to look into yourself, as often times we project the parts of ourselves we don't like onto others without realizing that it is something we don't particularly like about our own selves. This could apply to the Lovers Rx.

Thanks for giving me things to think about!
 

nicki

thanks Jewel and coyoteblack for the feedback, i did really struggle with this step, I had to keep going back to it time and time again and still wasn't really happy with the finished product. I think I sometimes expect to much of myself.

nicki
 

le fey

Step 7: Synthesis - Queen of Swords, Druidcraft

Step 7: Synthesis - Queen of Swords, Druidcraft

7:1.1 - Synthesis keywords into an integrative statement for each of the following cards, using number or rank, suit, element and mode.

Page of Pentacles
Rank: Page - messengers, children, immature, student, development
Suit: Pentacles - security, being grounded, fruits of labor, results, trade, health, finances, family orientation
Element: Earth - solidity, concrete, material, grounded, sensation
Mode: Courts - Who? person, role, attitude, personality, trait

Synthesis:
A person who delivers a message about one's financial security
development of a sense of groundedness.
learning practical skills that will secure concrete results
caring for health by practicing wellness and early detection of problems
studying ways to save money for later security
an immature attitude about work, security, or finances
a message about a birth or young family member
a message about the fruits of one's labor (perhaps a letter regarding a promotion or raise)
a person who invests in bonds and other savings methods that take a long time before maturity
someone researching the potential for a long term business project
a child developing concrete skills/passing development milestones
a person learning to feel secure in their environment
a person who keeps a security object (blanket, special piece of jewelry, etc)
messages that come via concrete channels - letters, books and magazines, body language, body symptoms, etc.

8 of Swords
#: 8 - complexity, adjustment, re-evaluation, organization, control, restraint, processing
Suit: Swords - problem-solving, analysis, acuity, beliefs, conquest, hardship, struggle, obstacles to defeat, necessity, negative emotions
Element: Air - abstract, ideas, mental, thinking, ideologies
Mode: Minor Arcana - situations, events, activities

a situation that requires one to solve a complex problem
a situation that requires analysis of multiple data points
re-evaluation of one's beliefs
an event that involves controlling the expression of one's ideas or opinions
showing self-control and restraint in the midst of hardship
the necessity of organizing one's thoughts
organization of one's intellectual concerns
the act of processing information
evaluating abstract ideas
using intellect to overcome obstacles
using analytical reasoning skills to organize ideas in order to attain clarity
adjusting one's beliefs in the face of evidence
restraining one's thoughts - self or others
debating someone to a standstill - conquest via ideas

X Wheel of Fortune
#: 10 - wholeness, consummation, completion, karma, permanence, cycles, reaping, fulfillment
(1+0=1) - potentiality, opportunity, source, divine energy
Suit: All - balance of energy
Element: All
Mode: Major Arcana - lesson learned, archetype, cause, milestone

Wheel of the Year
what goes around comes around
all is one
consummation of the entire self
the eternal center
reaping what one has sowed
integration of all facets
bringing together multiple elements to create a whole
to everything there is a season
learning to do the right thing at the right time
a period of open opportunity where anything is possible
staying centered in the midst of major upheaval
working out one's destiny in balance with the universe
everything comes in cycles
tapping into your spiritual source
know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em
change what you can, accept what you can't and know the difference between the two
this, too, shall pass
blending self-will with spiritual acceptance


Ace of Cups
#: 1 - singularity, seed, root, potentiality, beginning, gift, inspiration, opportunity, birth, energy, inspiration
Suit: Cups - emotion, feelings, nourishment, moods, imagination, dreams, receptivity, reflection
Element: Water - emotional realm, changeable, subconscious
Mode: Aces - element, potential, energy

the potential for a new relationship
the source of an emotional response
an inspirational dream
a gift for emotionally satisfying creativity (music, art)
an opportunity for reflection
the subconcious source of a strong mood
spiritual Mystery
empathic intuition
a strong emotion the suddenly wells up within
a sense of awe in the universe
'love at first sight'
being 'in the moment' on an emotional level
going with the flow

(Part 2, with the focus on my own card, will follow - this has turned out to be pretty intensive! Not entirely satisfied with the above, but I think I could tweak here forever)
 

le fey

Part 2: Queen of Swords, Druidcraft

7:1.2 - Do the same for the Queen of Swords, trying as many combinations as possible.

Rank: Queen - nurturing, maintaining, supportive, reflective, receptive, mothering
Suit: Swords - courage, beliefs, conquest, practicality, hardship, struggle, obstacles to defeat, necessity, negative emotions
Element: Air - problem-solving, analysis, acuity, mental concerns, academic environment, thought
Mode: Courts - role, attitude, style, Who?

a person who nurtures one's academic goals (a tough teacher who insists on one's best effort)
*one who is supportive of another's intellectual pursuits (a parent who sacrifices so their child can go to college)
one who maintains their beliefs in times of struggle
one who nurtures a grudge - won't let go or forgive
*one who is supportive by helping analyze the situation
*one who is supportive by assisting with problem solving
*one who can see through other's BS
*one who courageously accepts struggle as a fact of life
*one who thinks through their beliefs, nurturing their faith via consciously working it through at a mental level (philosophical argument)
*one who is insightful and knows what you are thinking
*one who reflects on their own negative emotions and sustains them (a grieving widow/divorcee/empty nester)
*one who defeats obstacles by analyzing their way around them.
*one who mothers by use of argument and rhetoric - the lecturing parent who doesn't allow emotionality to overrule logic and practicality
one who is receptive to other's criticism (takes it in and allows it to grow inside them)
*one who wins arguments with sharp words and wit
*one who illustrates that 'necessity is the mother of invention' - one who often finds new uses for items that might otherwise be thrown out or is able to 'make do' with what they have.
*one who nurtures their beliefs and attitudes, protecting them from anything that might make them falter - may hang onto these beliefs and baby them long past the time to let them go

Which statement feels the most true?

These all feel true in some way - the starred ones indicate which of them pertain to me as I take on the role of the Queen of Swords. (doesn't feel particularly comfortable to have to 'fess up to some of that, either!)

How does it relate to your life right now?

For the past two weeks, my girls and I have been moving into a new, much smaller, home. This hasn't been exactly pleasant for any of us, and I have caught myself doing some lecturing on how, if we tough this out and get it done things will be easier soon and ...not ignoring their emotional concerns exactly, but asking them to not let those emotions keep them from getting things unpacked, set up, so our place will feel like our home rather than a warehouse full of boxes - pushing them, and myself past the emotional stuff and back to the practical stuff. We've all had to get very analytical about how to best use the space, how to recycle some of our things into new uses in this space. (for example, my bedframe wouldn't fit into the room because of a very small door - old house - so after some thought, the mattresses wound up on the floor and two large bookshelves I didn't know where to put were pressed into service as headboards. The effect is both practical, as I needed the shelving for my books, and also looks nice so it's not really noticeable that I don't have a bedframe anymore.) The kids have actually gotten a little excited about helping to figure out how to creatively use our things to their best effect here, so it's become a fun mental challenge for us all. We've also had to cut a lot of our possessions out of our lives totally - not having room for them is a great exercise in deciding whether or not we really want them. All of this is a somewhat uncomfortable stew of practical need in the face of hard times and the attending emotions that result, so my primary role right now is to try to nurture our family and create a home while dealing with a couple dozen problems I have no easy answer for. It's required a lot of Queen of Swords energy to get this all done.

7:1.3 - Create a further synthesis that includes material from your description, emotions and fairy tale - everything you've explored so far.

Rank: Queen - nurturing, maintaining, supportive, reflective, receptive, mothering
Suit: Swords - courage, beliefs, conquest, practicality, hardship, struggle, obstacles to defeat, necessity, negative emotions
Element: Air - problem-solving, analysis, acuity, mental concerns, academic environment, thought
Mode: Courts - role, attitude, style, Who?

Additional keywords:

Descriptions:
rooted on barren land
wearing purple
firm featured
high altitude 'above it all'
facing problems head on
defensive posture
not allowing oneself to focus on hope
masking one's thoughts
stern
rigidly controlled emotions
self-protective
refusal to appear weak
refusal to give up before fully analysing the situation
insistent on dealing with a situation on her own terms
persevering no matter what it takes
infertile environment
doing what she thinks she should in spite of it not working
continuing her role after it stops mattering
unwillingness to act before knowing what the result will be
having to choose what to cut out of her life
making a decision about what to feel (rather than just feeling it)
stuck in a mindset

Sythesis:
The Queen of Swords depicts someone who sternly controls her emotions and nurtures others with firm strength and insisting that they do not give up or give in to weakness.

This person protects herself by keeping her thoughts and beliefs at the forefront and not letting anything get past them.

This is a person who will maintain her situation, only letting it go after she's thought and analyzed it to death and sometimes well past that point - letting go of a belief or conclusion is very hard.

This is a person who thinks that being 'too' emotional or focusing on hope rather than dealing with the situation as it is is a sign of weakness and impracticality - she cuts neither herself nor those under her care any slack for doing so.

This is a person who faces life on her own terms, doing things her own way because she's conciously thought about how she wants it and is confident in her decisionmaking. She is the person who decides she shall 'wear purple' when she is old, and not accept other people's opinions on what the right way to live her life is. She is not afraid of being alone as long as she can do it on her own terms. She has lost many people along the way, but takes some measure of pride at her strength in dealing with the loss without giving in to emotional displays of mourning.

Yes, she does think she's above it all, more far-seeing and able to face the world with clarity - all that she's lost cuts out the clutter that might distract her from seeing so far. (She sees and understands much but her personal world may be a bit barren)

She may be a person who has lost a child or cannot conceive of one, or has in some way lost her family or her role as parent or wife.

She avoids taking action without first thinking it through and does not allow those under her care to claim that things just happened - there is always a reason and she believes it's everyone's responsibility to understand and choose their own behavior.

She is seen as being haughty, stubborn and heartless and someone who will hold onto her own views for a long, long time, repeating arguments in favor of them even when the argument no longer works. She feels a great sense of loss at having to accept that her opinions, beliefs, or conclusions about how life works are faulty.

If you betray her, the sharpest sense of regret she has may be in realizing that her thoughts about who you are were in error - the loss of her ability to trust her own beliefs and understandings is more painful than the loss of her ability to trust you. She may doggedly express trust in you (being supportive of you) long past the point when you deserve it mainly because she can't stand to be wrong. Don't think you're fooling her - when she finally gets to the point of concluding that you aren't worthy of her attention, she'll drop you without another word and very little emotional pain. You know you're doomed when she stops bothering to argue with you.

Whew. That last bit is so totally me, it's embarrassing.
 

dadsnook2000

For le fey

You have put a lot of work into this step. It all seems to be relevant to your coping with an extraordinary amount of change for yourself and for your family. From a guy's perspective, it does make sense to just push ahead and get the formidable task of choosing, keeping, disposing, applying old things to new situations out of the way as fast as possible. Yet, we all need time to adjust, to cope, to remember, to rationalize, to just relax a bit.

So, it is with the hope that this review of your card at this step, as well as gaining a new perspective on what we can do for ourselves in this life, will encourage you to keep moving forward. I think we have all learned a bit more about the card and about life from your sharing. I have. Thank you. Dave
 

le fey

Thanks - this step definitely turned out to be a lot more intensive than I thought it might be and I can see how working through this is giving me a lot more clarity about the Queen of Swords than I've had in the past, as well as helping me get some perspective about where I am right now in my life as well as a good understanding that taking this Queen's role is a phase of life and not necessarily a locked in state forever. I think that last part is my real aha - I have avoided her traits, or at least the acknowledgment of them, because she's so darned prickly, but what I'm learning here is that the courts don't described permanent personalities in total, but aspects of personality that we can either use or get trapped in. She's certainly a powerful role to take on when the situations requires it.
 

Starling

Page of Pentacles – The Page is a Court Card. The question it asks is Who is this person. Because it is a Page this is someone who is at the beginning of his/her search for the answers of this particular suit/element. Because it is Pentacles the emphasis is on what is practical, what is earthy, and learning skills.

Eight of Swords – The 8 of Swords is a Number Card. Number Cards ask What? What is the situation here? What is going on? Swords are about struggle and strategy, will and thought. Eights are about persistence, determination, organization and redirection. This card is all about using one’s will to work oneself out of a tough situation, because the will and personal strength is all that is left.

Wheel of Fortune – The Wheel of Fortune is a Major Arcana Card. Major Cards ask Why? What is happening? What is the lesson to be learned? The number is 10. The keywords for 10 are about completeness, wholeness, and beginning again. 10, in tarot at least, is both the beginning and the end and therefore a new beginning. In the Golden Dawn system the Wheel of Fortune is a fire card and fire is energy, inspiration and risk. The Wheel of Fortune is all about understanding that life is never static. What ends is the beginning of something new and in life you need to be willing to risk, willing to expend energy and to use your inspiration.

Ace of Cups – The Ace of Cups is an Ace Card. The question is Where? The suit is Cups; the element is water. Where is your focus? The focus is on emotions, relationships and nurturing.

I realized when I read the first post in this thread that I had already done the work on my chosen card, so I’m re-posting part of it here along with a new introduction.

My chosen card is the 5 of Swords. The 5 of Swords is a Number Card. Number cards ask What? Swords are about struggle and strategy, will and thought. Fives are about crisis resulting in challenges and opportunities, balance and unbalance, and stability and destability.

So far, even with the pure intuitive stuff I've done with this card, I've been talking about how the situation of the three figures in the card has been changed by the struggle they engaged in just before the time shown on the card. So, in this case at least, the card is also saying WHEN did the struggle happen? The struggle in this card is over. What is going on now is dealing with the results of the struggle. Which one of the figures is YOU?
 

bryghtrose

Chosen Card: Robin Wood Tarot, 2 of Swords. Part 1

Page of Pentacles.
Number/Rank: Page -- student, messenger, immature, open, child
Suit: Pentacles --Earth, worldliness, practical matters
Element: Earth -- Physical world, money, security, grounding, practicality, touch
Mode: Court Card -- Who? Person who is/ or displays characteristics of card. Personality of the seeker.
Synthesis: A student of money. A practical child.


Eight of Swords.
Number: 8 --Progress, adjustment, acknowledging error, reality
Suit:Swords--Air, thought, intellectual matters
Element: Air--Thought, intellect, ideas, conflict, communication, reason.
Mode: Number--What? Refers to a situation or event. Something tangible. Earthly causes.
Synthesis: Progress toward intellectual understanding.

Wheel of Fortune
Number: 10 (or 1)--Unity, fulfillment, wholeness, renewal
Suit: N/A
Element: None/All-- Not of any specific element, but part of all of them.
Mode: Major Arcana--Why? Archetypes, universal causes, much bigger than you, lessons to be learned.
Synthesis: A lesson on change. Inevitability of change. Cycle of life.

Ace of Cups.
Number: One/Ace--Entirety, beginning, pure energy, wholeness
Suit: Cups--Water, feelings, emotional matters
Element: Water-- Emotions, love, family, unconscious,
Mode:Aces-- Where? Shows elemental realm, encompasses entirety of suit.
Synthesis:

Now do the same for your chosen card. Try as many different combinations as possible. Which of these statements feels most true? Howdoes it relate to your life right now?

Two of Swords
Number:Two--Choice, duality, relationships, interaction, decision
Suit:Swords--Air, thought, intellectual matters
Element: Air--Thought, intellect, ideas, conflict, communication, reason. Words
Mode: Number--What? Refers to a situation or event. Something tangible. Earthly causes.
Synthesis: An intellectual choice. Verbal interaction. A decision involving ideas or words.



---------------
The 8 of Swords was almost the card I chose, instead of the Two. It's interesting now to look at the two of them almost side-by-side.
----------------

I'm feeling that the synthesis and all these keywords is reducing the meaning of the cards to something less than what the images convey. I can't capture the panic and desperation that the image of the woman trapped by her own swords with numbers, suits, modes, and elements. There is so much that this exercise leaves out. "An Intellectual Choice" is so not what this card means to me, there's so much more here.

The stories I wrote for steps 2-4 convey so much more meaning than these keywords do.